Angkor, Encore!

The ruins of Angkor really blew me away. Not even the hoards of other tourists could take away form the majesty and intrigue of these structures. I spent three days exploring the vast expanse of relics from a past civilisation. Guide book in hand, I felt like an archaeologist in action as I followed the stories told in the carvings at Angkor Wat. And then there are the ruins overtaken by the jungle, what a sight! Here's a few snaps I took along the way. 

Briefly in Laos

My time in South East Asia seemed quite a fleeting trip. Over Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, it felt that I merely got a taste of what those countries hold - their people, culture, history and topography. 

Despite the swift nature of the trip, the glimpses I got of the various places visited have left me filled with intrigue and a desire to return. 

Sadly a lot of my photos didn't work out, due to my not-so-rad photography skills. But here are a handful from Laos that somehow aren't blurry... 

Vang Vieng, Laos.

Luang Prabang, Laos. What a delightful town. I loved walking the streets, looking at the French architecture taken over by the Lao lifestyle. 

The river wraps around town, with little farms lining the banks. 

Bamboo bridge. Apparently it washes away every monsoon and has to be rebuilt. To pay for the maintenance, a small fee is charged to cross.

Kuang Si Falls, outside Luang Prabang. Stunningly blue water, cascading through dense jungle.. A little over-run with selfie-taking foreigners, but what can you expect? A gorgeous place, regardless of the masses.

New Zealand Roadtrip

Coming to the end of a road trip around the south island of New Zealand. Oh the wonders we've seen, oh the rain that has fallen! Greenery, mountains, lakes, countless rivers and waterfalls... Dreamy. 

Here's some photos I took along the way...

French Farm camping ground. Took an early morning visit to the winery up the road.

Roadside mountain walk.

Hello cow.

Marlborough Sounds. Sadly we had really poor weather for the whole time we were here. Stayed in a cute little cove, but had to take off early the next day due to gale force winds and the threat of road closure...

Photos out the window.

Abel Tasman. Took a water taxi up to Torrent Bay and walked back to town along the Abel Tasman Track. Gorgeous beaches and dense rainforest.

Watering Cove.

Road side stop.

Franz Josef Glacier. Sort of covered in cloud, but you can see the blueish hue of the ice there in the middle.

Rain and cloud. All day. Every day.

Ferns.

More ferns.

 Copland River, on our way up the Copland Track to Welcome Flat Hut (18km).

Welcome Flat. Surrounded by mountains with waterfalls gushing down... Lucky to have the clouds clear off! Really appreciated the hot pools here after a long day of walking.

Roadside stop again. Wilsons Creek Gorge, look at the colour of the water!

Wilsons Creek Gorge. Way too cold to leave feet in for more than 30 seconds....

Wilsons Creek Gorge.

Enter the lake country. On our way to Wanaka.

Roy's Peak walk, Wanaka. Left pre-dawn. Quite a steep one but so worth it for the views!

More Roy's Peak.

 RP.

 Here's a sheep enjoying the view up top.

 Look at those lakes.

Mountains around Wanaka.

Queenstown walk.

 On our way to Milford Sound, stayed the night at Cascade Creek. Beautiful green forest along the creek, so quiet and still.

Fiordland National Park.

Cascade Creek.

 This naughty, but ever so cute, Kakapo immediately got to work on pulling apart our van. pictured in his beak is a piece of rubber sealing from the roof.

Cloudy waterfalls, Fiordland NP.

More cloudy waterfalls.

Out on the Sound (though it's technically a fjord...).

Mitre Peak, Milford Sound.

Waterfall rain.

Same waterfall, but in the distance.

Big ol' rock.

Pretty rocks.

Picture taken while driving. In the bottom right corner you can see the entrance to the tunnel out of Milford Sound. Completed in the 50s, this is truly an architectural feat and quite scary to pass through. NOT a good place to break down!

Finally some proper sun! Made it to Dunedin (great city). This is at Tunnel Rock down the road.

Tunnel Rock.

Also at Tunnel Rock. I liked the little house up there on the hill.